Handel: Tarifeinigung in NRW – Durchbruch im Einzelhandel
Der erste Abschluss der bundesweiten Tarifrunde könnte anderen Regionen als Vorbild dienen. In NRW sollen die Beschäftigten sofort ein Gehaltsplus von drei Prozent erhalten.
Düsseldorf - Employers and trade unions in North Rhine-Westphalia's retail sector have reached an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, marking a significant breakthrough in the ongoing nationwide negotiations. The fifth round of talks concluded with a successful tariff deal, announced by both the Handelsverband Nordrhein-Westfalen and the Verdi-Landesbezirk.
This marks the first such agreement within a tariff area since the federal-level negotiations began earlier this year. Verdi spokespersons expressed optimism that other regions might follow suit, while the Trade Association of Germany anticipates the agreement will send a positive signal throughout the country.
From August 2026, retail employees in North Rhine-Westphalia will see a 3% wage increase, with an additional 2% boost from May 2027. The collective bargaining agreement will last for 25 months. Lower wage brackets will benefit from a minimum hourly rate of 14.20 euros in August 2026 and 14.90 euros from May 2027, according to Verdi.
With approximately 700,000 people employed in the North Rhine-Westphalia retail sector, the union's Henrike Eickholt emphasized that the negotiations were "hard-fought" and resulted in tangible wage increases for workers. Verdi negotiator Henrike Eickholt had previously demanded a 7% pay rise, with a minimum of 225 euros per month over a 12-month period.
Christopher Ranft, the employer's negotiator, described the tariff agreement as a "challenging, painful compromise" for many businesses.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
